How is a diagnosis of uterine cancer made?
The symptoms linked to uterine cancer can also be caused by less serious problems. To find out the cause of any of these symptoms, the doctor asks you about your health history and your family medical history. He or she does a careful physical exam. This includes a pelvic exam and Pap test. This test does not show if a woman has uterine cancer, because it checks cells in the cervix, not the uterus. But it can help make sure you don’t have another problem with similar symptoms. The doctor may order a biopsy to help make a diagnosis. During a biopsy, the doctor removes some tissue from the inner uterine lining, called the endometrium. This can usually be done in the doctor’s office with no or little anesthetic. Another type of biopsy is dilation and curettage (D&C). This involves scraping tissue from different parts of the lining of the uterus. A D&C is usually done in a surgery center or hospital.
